Fun with Dick and Jane (PG-13)
Scott:
Scott: Tonight I am reviewing Fun with Dick and Jane
. This movie is a remake of the 1977 film Fun with Dick and Jane. Having never seen the original, I will make no comparisons, but assume it's not like this one.
Mike: I am hunting snipe and therefore can't review this movie with Scott.
Scott: Good luck with that. So what did I think?
The movie was good, not great, and there were some funny parts. Unfortunately, several of the funniest scenes were in the trailers for the movie. So, to make this movie really funny, avoid all of the trailers!
This version finds Dick Harper (Jim Carrey) working for a high tech firm, Globodyne. Globodyne in this flick is any company that is more concerned about profits than people. You never find out what the company does, but you learn pretty quickly that the top guys at the company aren't very nice. The CEO and CFO of the company have swindled millions of dollars from the company, which crashes big time and leaves Dick holding the bag.
Before too long Dick and wife Jane Harper (Téa Leoni) find themselves broke. Dick's pension and savings were tied to Globodyne stock, which is now worth nothing. In order to make ends meet they go about doing what any upper middle class suburbanites would do, they start sticking up convenience stores. Of course, they don’t stop there, but to go further would give away the meat of the story, so I don't want to do that.
Carrey is a funny comedian known for his physical comedy. He does some of that in this flick, and it is funny as always. He never gets too crazy for the part and he seems to fit the mold of an upper class corporate suit.
Leoni is funny too, although you may not think so looking at her movie resume. She starred in a tv comedy in the late 90's, called The Naked Truth, that I really enjoyed. Judging from the ratings, I was the only one. I like her though; because she brings compassion to her characters and has a tendency to draw in the audience. The fact that she has the best legs this side of Katie Couric doesn’t hurt either.
Director Dean Parisot directed one of my favorite movies, Galaxy Quest. I wish this was as original as that was, but regrettably, it wasn't. Parisot went to great lengths to show how downtrodden the family has become, but that quickly grows old and slows down the pace of the movie. By the time the movie gets going again, you lose interest in the characters and care more about seeing the funny scenes.
Together, the three made a fairly plain movie. It's odd though, each of the three has shown themselves to be funny, or that they can direct funny people, it just didn't really happen here.
Also appearing in the flick is Alec Baldwin as the pompous CEO of Globodyne. His pseudo concern about his employees wellbeing after his company goes belly up is humorous and sadly echoes today's CEOs.
It is a pretty straightforward movie, almost like the Dick and Jane books on which it was based. There is a little bit of a twist in the end of the flick, but it doesn't make the movie more satisfying. I rate this one a 3.5 out of 5 for comedy and a 2.5 out of 5 overall.
Also, at the end of the movie, you will want to stay through the beginning of the credits. There aren’t any outtakes, but there is a funny/sad commentary on life in the early 2000’s.
